- Blue Origin's Launch Challenges: Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket faced multiple delays during its crucial launch carrying NASA's Escapade satellites, which are set to study Mars's magnetosphere. The delays were exacerbated by adverse weather conditions and the aftermath of a powerful geomagnetic storm that affected communications on Earth.
- Powerful Solar Flare Strikes: The sun unleashed an X 5.1 class solar flare, the most intense since 2024, causing significant radio blackouts across parts of Africa and Europe. Concerns rise over a potential coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with the flare, which could lead to a G4 geomagnetic storm watch, affecting electrical grids and satellites.
- First Observations of Stellar CMEs: Astronomers made a groundbreaking discovery by directly observing a coronal mass ejection from a red dwarf star 40 light years away. This finding has significant implications for the search for extraterrestrial life, as the volatile nature of red dwarfs could strip atmospheres from orbiting planets.
- Comet 3I Atlas Update: The interstellar visitor Comet 3I Atlas is becoming increasingly active as it approaches the sun, displaying a longer, more defined ion tail. This offers a rare opportunity to study its composition, providing insights into the conditions of its formation millions of years ago.
- Revealing the Greater Pleiades Complex: Researchers have discovered that the famous Pleiades star cluster is just the core of a much larger structure, the Greater Pleiades Complex, which spans 2,000 light years and contains thousands of stars born from the same stellar nursery. This revelation changes our understanding of the night sky and the connections between stars.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the wonders of our universe.
Blue Origin Launch Update
[Blue Origin](https://www.blueorigin.com/)
Solar Flare and CME Information
[NOAA](https://www.noaa.gov/)
Red Dwarf Star Observations
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Comet 3I Atlas Images
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Pleiades Complex Discovery
[ESA](https://www.esa.int/)
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 that brings the cosmos down to Earth. I'm
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 avery. Give us 10 minutes and we'll give you
00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 the universe.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 Anna: And I'm Anna. And in the show today, Avery,
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 we've got everything from missions to Mars
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 facing off with solar storms to a, uh,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 historic first glimpse of space weather on
00:00:21 --> 00:00:22 a distant star.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 Avery: It's going to be a journey. We'll also be
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 updating you on our interstellar visitor and
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 uncovering the hidden family history. One of
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 the most famous star clusters in our night
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 sky. So let's get right into it.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 First up, Blue Origin's big day at the launch
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 pad has been eventful.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Anna: That's one way to put it. They're trying to
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 get their new Glenn rocket off the ground.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 Carrying a pretty important payload for NASA.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 Avery: Exactly. This isn't just any launch. It's
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 carrying the two Escapade mission satellites
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 which are headed to Mars to study its
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 magnetosphere. This is a huge deal for Blue
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 Origin. It's their first major science
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 mission for a paying customer. And that
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 customer is NASA.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 Anna: No small amount of pressure, then?
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 Avery: None at all. But the universe had other
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 plans. First, they were delayed by cloudy
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 skies, which is pretty standard. But then
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 they got hit by the fallout from that recent
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 really severe geomagnetic storm.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 Anna: Right. And that storm was a story in itself.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 It was responsible for those incredible
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 auroras that were seen as far south as Texas
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 and Florida. A beautiful but powerful remote
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 reminder of the sun's influence.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Avery: It really was. And there's a certain irony
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 in a mission designed to study space weather
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 on, uh, Mars being delayed by space weather
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 here on Earth.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 Anna: There absolutely is. Once they get there,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 though, the Escapade satellites have a
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 fascinating job. They're going to orbit Mars
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 and study how solar particles, the solar
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 wind, interact with what's left of Mars's
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 magnetic field. The goal is to better
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 understand how Mars lost most of its
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 atmosphere over billions of years.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 Avery: Mm mhm. A planetary autopsy of sorts.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 So we're wishing them clear skies and calm
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 space weather for their next attempt.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 But speaking of that geomagnetic storm,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 it was caused by some seriously intense
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 activity from our star.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 Anna: That's our next big story. Just recently,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 the sun unleashed the most powerful solar
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 flare we've seen. In 2025, it was
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 categorized as an X 5.1 class
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 flare. Wow.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 Avery: For our listeners, X class flares are the
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 biggest category, and X 5.1 is
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 a monster. That's the most intense flare
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 since back in October 2024.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Anna: It is. And it had immediate effects here on
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 Earth. The Blast of radiation caused
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 significant radio blackouts across Africa and
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 Europe on the sun facing side of the planet.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Avery: So that affects things like high frequency
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 radio communications used by airlines and
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 mariners, right?
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 Anna: Precisely. The bigger concern now is whether
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 a coronal mass ejection or cme
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 was associated with the flare and is heading
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 our way. NOAA is keeping a close watch.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 If a significant CME does impact Earth,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 they might issue a, ah, G4 geomagnetic storm
00:03:21 --> 00:03:21 watch.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 Avery: And the G4 is serious business. We're not
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 just talking about pretty auroras then that
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 can cause widespread problems with electrical
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 grids and communication satellites.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 Anna: Exactly. It's a powerful reminder that we
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 live in the atmosphere of a very active star.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 But what's really amazing is that we're now
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 able to see this kind of weather happening on
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 other stars too.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 Avery: That's right. So while on the subject of
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 cmes, it's not just here in our
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 backyard.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 This next story is a groundbreaking one.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 For the very first time, astronomers have
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 directly observed a coronal mass
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 ejection from a star that isn't our Sun.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 Anna: It's just incredible. We've theorized it
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 happens, but do to actually see it is a huge
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 leap. So what did they see?
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Avery: They were looking at a red dwarf star, which
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 is about 40 light years away. They used two
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 different observatories, the XMM M M Newton
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 Space Observatory to watch for the initial
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 flare in X rays, and then the LOFAR
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 radio telescope to detect the blob of ejected
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 material.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 Anna: Mhm. So they caught the flash and
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 then the cannonball, so to speak.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 Avery: That's a great way to describe it. And this
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 isn't just a cool astronomical first.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 It has major implications, implications for
00:04:36 --> 00:04:37 the search for extraterrestrial life.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 Anna: Because red dwarfs are the most common type
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 of star, and we've found many
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 exoplanets orbiting them, um, in the
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 habitable zone.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Avery: Exactly. But red dwarfs are also known for
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 being extremely volatile, especially when
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 they're young. If they are constantly
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 blasting their orbiting planets with these
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 powerful CMEs, it could strip away their
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 atmospheres and make them completely
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 uninhabitable, even if they're at the right
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 temperature for liquid water.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Anna: So finding life might be less about the
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 address and more about how stormy the
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 neighborhood is. It really refines our
00:05:13 --> 00:05:13 search.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 Avery: It certainly does. And it's not just
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 energy reaching us from other star systems.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Sometimes we get physical visitors.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Anna: Let's talk about our latest interstelli
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 guest, Comet 3I Atlas.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 A new image has come in, and it's looking
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 more spectacular than ever.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 Avery: This is only the Third confirmed interstellar
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 object we've ever detected. Right after the
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 mysterious Oumuamua and the more
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 comet like Borisov.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 Anna: That's right. And this new image shows that
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 its ion tail has grown significantly
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 longer and has much more defined structure.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 It's really starting to put on a show.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Avery: And that, uh, growing tail means it's
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 becoming more active.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 Anna: Exactly. As it gets closer to our sun,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 it's heating up. This causes volatile
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 materials on its surface, things like frozen
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 carbon dioxide to sublimate, turning
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 directly from a solid ice into a gas.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 That gas and dust is what creates the tail we
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 see, which gives us.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 Avery: A chance to study its composition.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 Anna: Mhm. By analyzing the light from that tail,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 we can figure out what it's made of. This is
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 an incredibly rare opportunity. It's like
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 getting a sample delivered directly from a
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 distant, unknown planetary system,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 telling us about the conditions where it
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 formed millions or billions of years ago.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 A, uh, true cosmic time capsule.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 Avery: From a single visitor from afar to a
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 massive family reunion right in our own
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 backyard.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 Our last story today completely reframes
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 one of the most recognizable patterns in the
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 night sky.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 Anna: You're talking about the Pleiades. The seven
00:06:54 --> 00:06:54 Sisters?
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 Avery: I am. But it turns out that famous,
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 tightly packed little cluster is just the
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 bright, shiny core of something immensely
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 bigger. Researchers have discovered what
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 they're calling the Greater Pleiades Complex.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 Anna: That sounds impressive. How much greater are
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 we talking?
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 Avery: It's staggering. This stellar network
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 stretches 2 light years across.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 It contains thousands of stars that were all
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 born from the same stellar Nursery about
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 120 million years ago, along
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 with the main Pleiades cluster.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 Anna: So how did they find them? These sibling
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 stars are scattered all across the sky.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 Avery: Now, it was some brilliant detective work.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 They combined massive Data sets from three
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 sources. NASA's Tess, ESA's
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 Gaia, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 Gaia tracked stellar motion with incredible
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 precision so they could find stars moving in
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 the same general direction.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 Anna: Okay, so they're traveling together.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 Avery: Right. Then they used test data to measure
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 the star's rotation periods. The speed
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 a star spins is a really good indicator of
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 its age. Younger stars spin faster.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 This allowed them to find stars that were the
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 same age as the Pleiades. And
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 finally, they confirmed it by checking their
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 chemical composition. Siblings have the
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 same stellar DNA, so to speak.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 Anna: That is fascinating. So when we look up at
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 the sky, we're not just seeing random points
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 of light. We're looking at these vast,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 dispersed families drifting through the
00:08:30 --> 00:08:30 galaxy.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Avery: That's the takeaway. It completely changes
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 our map of the night sky. And this new
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 method could be used to trace the origins of
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 other star families. Perhaps one day
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 we could find the lost siblings of our own
00:08:45 --> 00:08:45 sun. Um.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 Anna: What a thought to end on. From solar
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 flares affecting us right here to finding
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 the Sun's family tree. That's all the time
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 we have for today's Astronomy Daily.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 Avery: We covered a lot of ground and a lot of
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 space. We hope you enjoyed the journey. Join
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 us next time as we continue to explore the
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 latest news from across the universe. I'm
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 Avery.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 Anna: And I'm Anna. Thanks for listening, Clear
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 skies. And of course, keep looking
00:09:14 --> 00:09:14 up.